THE ROAD CONTINUES
In this week’s Parsha, B’shalach, we finally exit Egypt and our journey to become HaShem’s people begins. To go from a nation of slaves to HaShem’s chosen people who will carry His Name throughout history throughout the world in every region through every ism we must be prepared and strengthened. Among the greatest restrictions that bind man from doing what he wants, are the confines that he makes up in his mind. Take for example, the boss who expects his employee to snitch on a co-worker. The employee does not want to snitch but they feel bound to do so; how then stand up to their boss?
In creating a nation that will withstand the challenges facing them on a constant basis, HaShem needed to train them to go beyond their self imagined limitations. They needed to be empowered to do what they know is right irrespective of any consequences. To accomplish this HaShem gave us Manna therapy which works as follows.
With 2.5 million people in the desert, food was a primary concern. To address this con-cern, every morning HaShem sent Manna from Heaven which fed the entire nation for one day only. In the evening there was no food in the pantry; but that did not matter be-cause tomorrow HaShem would send more. This was the routine every single day for 40 years. When one becomes accustomed to finishing off their entire meal leaving nothing for tomorrow with the knowledge that HaShem will provide more when needed, they built trust in HaShem. They became conditioned to know that there is no need to worry. Such knowledge empowers a person to do the right thing. They learn that there is no need to compromise their values because what can the boss do anyway, fire them? Who cares, HaShem provides and He does not need this fellow to pay me, He can get some other fellow to do the job.
But alas, how do we, the children of those people, the nation which HaShem chose, gain from that Manna therapy. We live in a dog eat dog world, how can we get some that therapy?
I believe that we can get it daily using the following story. This happened to me many years ago when a close friend of mine who was born blind called me one morning. “Paysach, you won’t believe this, I am able to see!’ ‘OMG! That is incredible. I would love to take you for a ride to see HaShem’s beautiful world!’ ‘I would love to go.’ And so, I took him out to Western Maryland where the road takes you along the mountainside. From one side you can see 40 miles with the mountains rising on the horizon – absolutely magnificent. Ahead of us was a sign indicating a turn in the road advising to lower speed to 15 mph. My friend, who had never seen a day in his life, looked ahead and saw how the road ends. (For a person who has never experienced seeing, when he sees the road bend around the corner, it appears to him that the road simply ends.) After lowering my speed to 15 mph he screamed at me to stop the car immediately. ‘Don’t you see the road ends! We are going to fall off the road!’ I explained to him that as we will approach the bend he will see that the road continues. He keeps on screaming ‘You have never been on this road before! how can you be so sure that it will continue?!’ Exasperated, I responded to him ‘My dear friend, now that you can see, you will experience yourself every day how the road appears to end and when you get to what seemed the end you will discover that it continues. In all my years I have never met a road that ended without a warning. You see, the road did not happen by itself, somebody built the road. Whoever built it did not stop in the middle!’
It struck me, we all are given Manna therapy. As we track our life and look ahead it always seems to come to an end. ‘How will we manages with the new baby? how will we manage another carpool and so on.’ Yet, nevertheless, we do it. HaShem gives us the opportunities and resources to manage. When we realize that our life is built by the Director, we know the road continues.
May we all be empowered by the knowledge and experience that the road continues. The One who built the road of life does not stop it in the middle. We can do whatever needs to be done without fear of consequences.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind